NHL Playoff Glance - The Bracket Tightens, and the Pressure Does Too

The playoff picture is in that familiar spring squeeze where every bounce feels like it comes with a mortgage payment. Teams are hunting for edges, and the ones that have been around this block know the tempo changes fast once the games start meaning legacies instead of standings. This kind of snapshot is usually where the smart money starts separating from the emotional money, and the teams still standing know there is no hiding once the bracket gets loud.